Mirror, Mirror
by Nataku2
Summary: Shonen ai, Shen/Long. Once again, Shenlong torments Long. But now, Long is beginning to question the validity of his own reasoning.


Title: Mirror, Mirror  
  
Author: Nataku  
  
Genre: Angst  
  
Rating: R  
  
Pairing: Very small smudge of yaoi at the end. Nothing really, a sentence of barely brotherly. The  
only charas in this story are Shenlong and Long  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Shen or Long !_! Hudson, producers of BR, blah blah blah blah blah. You  
know the rest.  
  
Summary: Shenlong, yet again torments Long. This time, Long is questioning the validity of his  
own causes.   
  
Warnings: Violence, angst. Very, very small yaoi at the very end. Nothing big.  
  
Author's Note: There are not that many stories out there focused solely on Shenlong and Long, so I  
am spewing out another one of my two favorite Bloody Roar characters. Can you guess the  
category? ^_^ BTW, I dedicate this to my good buddy Homeless, hope you feel better, mon cher  
ami. And why not, I'll dedicate this to Zeda to! You guy's know what I mean!  
  
'/' indicates thought.  
  
  
  
Mirror, Mirror  
  
  
/It's like looking in a mirror./  
  
The wind moaned, whispering through the trees. Weaving it's incorporeal fingers through the air  
and caressing everything it could gently. It sang melodically, dancing like the wild spirit it was.   
  
Standing alone in the midst of this, was a single Chinese man. He was relatively tall, with the figure  
of a martial artist and the carry of a wise man. His face looked weary for his years as he looked at  
the sliver of the crescent moon. The light reflected off the glasses concealing his unfathomable  
brown eyes as the wind flirted with his hair, making his bangs sway and his tail twitch like a tiger's.  
Those eyes reflected the pain of memory.  
  
/Always, it returns to haunt me. The atrocious deeds of my past. The man I once was./  
  
His eyes closed and he tipped his face to the ground, to the hell where he knew his soul should burn.  
  
/And I see it all reflected. Like facets on a diamond in him. He with the ruby red eyes. They created  
a man just like I once was. Evil, capricious, cruel. Still, he carries the face of Long Shin./  
  
He blinked as a drop of rain fell on his cheek, trickling down and into his hand. Like a icy tear from  
his soul. Truly, he regretted what he has done. His heart ached from the weight of his sins and he  
would of given anything to cleanse his blackened heart. It was a physical pain to him, that his hands,  
his claws brought death. That they spilled the blood of innocents.   
  
/He does it with a smile on his face. He enjoys the pain of others. He thrives in it like a dark  
rose....Shenlong. The sins of my soul incarnated and brought to life./  
  
His mind rang with the man's evil laughter and arrogant words. The shrill screams of those he  
witnessed murdered before his eyes by that demon wearing his voice. With eyes as red as the blood  
he spilt. Blood staining the innocent white.  
  
/Why does it always haunt me? Why does he always haunt me? My face, my sin, the other half of  
my soul.../  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
/The fool./  
  
Under that same moon, another dark silhouette stood, like a icon against the night. He too had the  
build of a martial artist, but his carry was a warrior's. His red eyes gleamed with the cruelty of one  
that lusts for blood, and would for the rest of all time. There was no compassion, no love. Only  
hatred, and amusement. Yes, ruby was a suitable color for his eyes. Are they not the window to the  
soul? If so, his soul was drenched with blood and fire.   
  
/A idiot to feel the guilt for what is so sublime. The agony of others, the death. So sweet the  
sensation of blood trickling down your throat. You know that, don't you Singh Long? You know,  
you understand, you lust. Perhaps I understand you better than you do yourself. I bet you loved it  
when you felt those lives of your friends.../  
  
He pauses to sneer.  
  
/...in your claws. When all it takes is one bite to spill their life blood over your muzzle. I bet you still  
thirst and hunger for the taking off a life. Such sweet, sweet temptation. Is that why you can't look  
me in the eye? You don't want to see your lust and desire personified? Believe me, Singh Long, you  
will break some day, and then we shall see your true stripes.../  
  
The icon smiled darkly, his evil eyes glowing with some private mirth. Obviously, he wasn't a sane  
man. The wind howled and raked icy claws through his coat, lashing his long black hair. He threw  
back his head and bared his teeth to the cold moon hanging in the dark heavens. With a scream of  
blood lust, he started laughing. A soul shattering sound that was carried by the whirling winds into  
the night. It was the sound to strike fear in the hearts of all those who heard it, and it did so.  
  
/Let us see the evil's of your soul, Long. Let us see the man you truly are!/  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Kempo Master paused and looked around.  
  
/I could of sworn I heard something.../  
  
With his mind at unease, he continued walking. He didn't know to where, to who, or when. All he  
knew was he was walking. No sense of time. No sense of belonging. At times, he seemed so distant  
from the human race, he felt as if the tiger was taking over.   
But no, he hated the bloody beast he was. He hated the pleasure that slicing into flesh with his claws  
brought. He hated the feeling that Shenlong was right. That he never really did change, just fooling  
himself.  
  
/Stop thinking like this! He is wrong, I am a new man! I cannot bear to wield these claws again. I  
MUST NOT FIGHT!!! For the sake of my sanity...what's left of my humanity... Any gods listening,  
I pray, please keep me from this dark temptation./  
  
The Chinese man's eyes were clouded with sorrow as he walked. The tiger slept soundly in his  
mind, but he knew it would be itching to wake once more. It would bare it's curved, sharp claws and  
long fangs, ripping free and fighting a meaningless battle.  
  
/Is it really meaningless...? Stop doubting yourself!/  
  
His step faltered and he took a deep breath.   
  
/My battles are meaningless. And even if I fought again, I must not allow the tiger to rip free.../  
  
Suddenly, a voice growled in his ear. Like his own, but not quite.  
  
"The tiger? My dear Long, you *are* the tiger. There is no controlling it."  
  
His eyes widened and a cold chill ran up his spine. Warm breath flowed over his skin and caressed  
gently. So different from that feral, disturbingly familiar voice.  
  
"You try so hard to run away from it, but don't you know that it is part of you? As I am as well?"   
The man's smile was cruel and taunting.  
  
"Shut your mouth!"   
The Kempo Master whirled around, a sudden fire spread through his veins. A fire that only this evil  
man could spark. His legendary calm was shattered for the moment.  
  
"I am no longer the beast I once was! I never will be again!"  
His voice was practically shaking in fury.  
"Never will Singh Long be resurrected, NEVER!!!!"  
  
The red eyed man's smile only seemed to grow. He stood calmly, demonic with the moon light  
haloing him. One could not confuse him with a good, honest man. Not with a smile, and eyes like  
that. Every motion spoke of a predator, and just by looking in his eyes, you can feel the sin dripping  
from him like freshly spilt blood.  
  
The Kempo Master, though they both shared the same face and body, projected a completely  
different aura. He was a man that was filled with pain and regret. Anguished grace flowed through  
him like water and his deep brown eyes were always sad. But he had a strength shining in him like  
the fire that was blazing now. The fierce determination of a warrior that lived even in the depths of  
his sorrow.  
  
"How dare you show up in my face!"  
  
"That's right, you don't need me to see your sins. All you need, is a mirror."  
  
The scholar froze, his eyes shimmering with hurt, but the look disappeared as something dangerous  
flashed in them. They seemed to glint gold as the wind whirled around him, kicking up sand and his  
robes in the gale.  
Shenlong just tilted his head, and smiled.  
  
"Then show me, Singh Long, just how much you've changed."  
  
Long slide into a tiger stance, eyes focused on the man before him. Nothing mattered to him  
anymore. Not his acquaintances, not his personal well fare, not even his life. All that meant anything  
was to destroy the personification of his sins. To cleanse his soul, nothing else mattered.  
  
The red eyed clone growled in savage bloodlust, taking up a stance of his own. Slowly, he stalked  
forward, staring into those wary brown eyes. Then he lashed out, catching his adversary off guard.  
He grinned ferally and ruthlessly continued, slamming powerful punches into the upper body of the  
Kempo Master before him.  
  
Long jerked back from the force of the blows, pain exploding from each point of contact. The last  
one slammed him into a wall and he slid down, wiping the blood that trickled down from the corner  
of his mouth. He flipped to his feet, catching the other man in the chest, then he dropped to the floor,  
sweep kicking the legs out from under his opponent. As Shen crashed to the floor, Long took the  
chance to savagely kick him in the ribs, the familiar thrill of blood lust starting to throb in his veins.  
  
Shenlong was surprised by the kick in the chest and was brought down by the sweep. His head  
connected with the ground and saw stars for a minute. Then a searing pain swept up from his ribs as  
he was kicked again. However, his smile grew even broader, seeing the blood lust starting to rise in  
the other Chinese man's eyes. This is what he wanted, this is what he was waiting for.   
  
The Kempo Master felt a twinge in the back of his mind. The tiger within was starting to wake from  
his slumber once more. And he couldn't stop it. He couldn't stop fighting. With each blow he traded  
with his clone, the tiger grew stronger and stronger. His morality and common sense was screaming,  
begging for him to stop, surrender, run away or what ever! However, his warrior pride and savage  
instincts overrode that. His blood lust was moving his body to the primal beat of war. The feel of his  
fists and feet striking flesh. The sensation as he rammed a fist and broke ground. Even the merciless  
blows that struck his body over and over. It was all intoxicating.   
  
Then, something just snapped in him. Throwing back his head and roaring in fury, the Chinese man  
felt a searing pain rip through his entire being. Body and soul. Wind lashed around him, wrapping  
around him like a shield of primal fury. A red streak of pure agony caused him to roar again as the  
transformation started. His face crunched outward and formed a muzzle. Muscles ripped up his form  
even as a tail snaked out from behind him. Knees make a loud SNAP as they reversed and sharp  
fangs ripped through his gums. His hands warped into lethal claws and black stripped orange fur  
sprouted all over his body.   
The tiger was now more alive than ever. The blood lust mixing with the beast's own instincts and  
now, he hungered for blood.  
  
Right in front of him, Shenlong was doing the same. His form ripping into a grey tiger. Instead of  
being gold, his eyes were blood red. Inside, he was laughing.  
  
/You fool Singh Long! The very thing you claim you are not, you have just now become./  
  
In the back of his mind, Long realized what had happened to him, but that was quickly lost. All he  
wanted, was to kill that red eyed beast before him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The two great beasts roared in fury, then charged toward each other, claws bared and lips drawn up  
into savage snarls. Slashes split the air as they clawed, bit, kicked, punched. Fierce attacks ripped  
through fur and flesh, even breaking bones. Lacerations opened up all over the two, red staining the  
fur and ripped clothing adorning the fighting tigers. The ground beneath their paws trembled with  
the force of their attacks as heavy bodies slammed into it.  
  
Long roared in pain as he was caught under one giant hind paw. There was the gleam of claws as  
Shenlong swiped viciously, opening his chest with two slashes. The Kempo Master felt a burning  
agony rip through his body as blood, his blood, poured over the hungry earth. Then a dangerous  
numbing sensation crept over the wound. To him, it was worse than the pain. The pain he welcomed,  
the pain he relished. But the numbness was simply not acceptable. Rolling to a crouch, one of his  
paws covered the gaping wounds as he glared at the grey beast before him.  
  
The red eyed clone was enjoying the savage fight. The pain almost as delicious as inflicting it. He  
growled in triumph as he managed to pin the orange tiger under his hind paw, then slashed with a  
brutal enthusiasm. The gleam of joy in his eyes sadistic and twisted. Like a warped red flame. He  
met the golden glare haughtily, blood dripping from his curved claws. He grinned, there was no way  
that the Kempo Master was going to win the fight now.  
  
After getting hit one more time, Long reverted back to his human form, no longer having the  
strength to hold onto his beast's skin. His mind, on the other hand, was still stuck on kill.  
  
Just to spite the other man, Shenlong shed his stripes and stood haughty and human. The wind  
whipped his long black hair and his coat fluttered like dark wings.  
  
"You cannot defeat me." there was no pride in his voice, just mathematical certainty with the air of  
arrogance he always carried with him. His smile was amused, even as a thin line of blood trickled  
slowly down from his temple.  
  
The Kempo Master still held his chest as blood flowed from between his fingers. He angrily glared,  
pouring forward all of his hatred to the man standing against the night.  
  
"How mistaken you are, Singh Long. You don't hate me."  
  
"Yes I do! I hate you with all of my soul! Words can not compensate the very loathing I harbor for  
your damnable presence!" the robed man spat out furiously. His brown eyes gleaming with a fury  
that just itched to be personified, but he had naught the energy to do so. Those same eyes widened  
with surprise as they were suddenly staring into intense ruby orbs. Scant inches away.  
  
Shenlong smiled infuriatingly as Long tried to break eye contact. One of his hands went to tilt up the  
man's chin so he had no choice but to stare him in the eye.  
"Come, come now. You are only fooling yourself. It is unbecoming with a man of your education."  
  
The brown eyed Chinese man could only sit helpless and glare. He was almost trembling in his fury,  
but the anger was starting to die down into a bone weary sensation. That odd numbness in his chest  
now spread to the rest of his body. In particular, his heart. However, he knew that this particular  
numbness was not physical, it just seemed that way.  
A void felt like it was opening in the core of his being and he looked up.  
"Why do you haunt me so? In my dreams at night, when I'm awake during the day. I can no longer  
have a moment of peace to my life."  
  
Shenlong's smile softened slightly.  
"You hate yourself. Your sins weigh too heavily, and you know what they say, 'one must learn to  
love oneself until he may be at peace.'."  
  
Long wanted to block out what he was hearing. He didn't even want to acknowledge the other  
Chinese man's existence. But it was hard to ignore the blood hued eyes peering into his own. It was  
hard to pretend that the truths he was hearing were false.   
  
"Let go and embrace your sins, release your deepest, darkest desires..."  
The red eyed zoanthrope pulled him closer and his eyes lite with amusement as he felt no resistance.  
Only tired defeat.  
  
The Kempo Master looked into the evil clone's eyes wearily and just allowed the motion. He felt  
like a marionette with his strings cut. What was the point? He felt warm lips touch his own and he  
sighed softly. The feeling was actually rather intoxicating, but he felt something burning in his eyes.  
Like molten fire, they trailed down his cheeks.   
  
Tears.  
  
/It is like looking into a mirror. One that reflects the heart and soul./  
  
/If that's so, Singh Long, why don't you ask it something?/  
  
/Mirror, mirror.../  
  
  
Author's Note: *runs screaming from tomatoes and flames* Please don't flame me!!!!  
PLEEEAASEEE!!!!! I couldn't help it! *keeps getting pelted* I'm SORRY!!! SUMASEN!!! *hides  
in bomb shelter. 


End file.
